


After the Battle

by SpaceCrazyArtist



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky's POV, M/M, Pining, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 18:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30042993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceCrazyArtist/pseuds/SpaceCrazyArtist
Summary: Commission for MassiveSpaceWren - Secret identity. Bucky’s in love with Iron Man but doesn’t know how to act on those feelings or even reveal them. He gets a chance after a tough battle when Iron Man offers to fix Bucky’s arm.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 24
Kudos: 89





	After the Battle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MassiveSpaceWren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/gifts).



The battle was long and intense, calling on every Avenger to help in the apprehension of their latest enemy. Or enemies as the case was. They were tiny gray aliens, no larger than two feet tall, but that could stack and become one giant alien and then separate again at will. It was terrifying to fight an enemy that could be one 20 foot tall monster or hundreds of two feet tall monsters. They would swarm and then stack, then fall apart and swarm again, keeping the Avengers constantly in a state of confusion. 

Overhead, a repulsor beam shot across the battlefield, hitting the monster between the eyes. It did nothing as the aliens fell apart to fight individually, making each Avenger take on at least 10 of the little monsters as more and more aliens seemed to pop up out of nowhere. “Where are they coming from?!” Iron Man yelled through the comm.

“It-” Captain America grunted, throwing his shield and knocking 20 of the little beasts off their feet. They stayed down, likely no longer alive, but it did little to make the Avengers cheer as more aliens gathered together to form the large one. Steve, or Captain America as was known to everyone who wasn’t Bucky, growled, “There has to be a portal open or something.” He threw the shield again, but it did little even to dent the massive 20-foot creature currently making its way down Mott St. Tourists and shop owners jumped out of its way, quickly taking cover in the nearby shops. 

“It’s alive,” Widow called, “which means there has to be a way to kill it.” 

Steve scowled, making Bucky roll his eyes. His friend was a good man, but sometimes subduing wasn’t an option. “We’ll do our best, Cap,” he called out, “but sometim-” His words cut off as absolute terror flashed through his entire system. The alien’s arm connected with Iron Man making a sickening crunch sound before the hero flew through the air to crash into the nearest brick building. He slid down then fell to land hard on the pavement face down. 

For a moment, Bucky held his breath, willing the hero to move. “Iron Man!” he called, running towards the man. He didn’t know who Iron Man truly was; none of them knew each other’s real names save for him and Steve, who’d been childhood friends. But even without the man’s identity, Bucky found his feelings running deeper and deeper the more they fought together. There was something about the sarcastic humor and the never-give-up attitude that did things to him. They’d been on one— well, he couldn’t call it a date. It had been after a fight, and the two had stopped in Central Park for a drink from one of the hot dog vendors. They’d strolled back to Fifth Avenue, sipping at their Coke and discussing everything from the weather to the latest fight to new alien technology that had recently appeared on the black markets. The encounter had left Bucky longing for more, for something deeper, to learn who Iron Man’s secret identity was. 

The man in question grunted and rolled onto his back as Bucky slid to his knees before him. “Hey, are you alright? Talk to me.” 

It was a strange sensation, but he could almost see the mask smile. “I’ll live,” Iron Man grunted. He was clearly injured, but his suit seemed still capable of fighting. “I have some scans, and I think I know of a way to take this thing out.” He sat up, rubbing at his head, even though it was just the suit, before standing shakily. 

Bucky reached out to help, chuckling at himself as the ridiculousness of him offering to help Iron Man stand suddenly hit him. He shook off the questioning look from Iron Man and shrugged. “Nothing, sorry,” he offered, “what’s the plan?”

There was a shout from the group and a loud crash as the alien stumbled into one of the buildings causing it to crumble. Widow and Hawkeye worked quickly to get the people out; thankfully, being a weekday, there was no one on the top floors and only a few people in the shop below. “If you have a plan, Iron Man,” Widow called out, “nows the time to tell us.” 

Nearby, Hulk smashed several of the aliens into the ground, giving them some time before more popped up. The larger alien didn’t regroup, which in some ways was good; the smaller ones seemed easier to take out even if there were more of them. He roared as he smashed and threw three aliens into other aliens as if he was bowling. 

Bucky watched for a second, strangely fascinated by the chaotic destruction before a blast of lightning slamming into the ground a few feet in front of him pulled him from his thoughts. He looked at Iron Man, placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort, and nodded. “Your plan?”

“Right!” The man nodded and launched into an elaborately choreographed fight that would result in defeating their enemy. 

It took a little less than an hour to implement, but Iron Man had been right, and at the end of the day, they defeated the little gray aliens. No more seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the ones that were still around, lay dead on the streets. It was gruesome, but Bucky knew that SHIELD would have it cleaned up within the hour. He turned his head, scowling at a major dent in his arm. Vibranium was very hard to dent, but those aliens were something he’d never seen before, and they packed a punch. It would take some work, but he would be able to fix the arm; they were just lucky none of the Avengers were seriously injured.

Bucky was pulled from his musings by a mechanical voice to his left. When he looked up, Iron Man was standing there with two Coke’s in his hand, holding one out to the Winter Soldier. Bucky smiled and took it. “You did good,” Iron Man praised, and although it shouldn’t have made a difference, Bucky felt himself preening. “I can fix that for you,” he nodded to the arm. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour, and we can do it at SHIELD headquarters.” Bucky could only nod, struck uncharacteristically mute by the idea of spending more time with Iron Man, one on one. “Great!” Iron Man exclaimed, “let’s go.”

The two set off, letting SHIELD grunt workers and the other Avengers take care of the mess on the ground. They sipped at their Coke as they slowly walked towards headquarters. “This is becoming a habit,” Iron Man quipped. “The drinks after a fight, I mean.”

“Only once so far,” Bucky answered, “well, twice now, I suppose.” 

“Nah,” The other man shook his head, “This is at least the fifth time we’ve spent time together after a fight and at least the third time we’ve shared a Coke.” Bucky frowned. He could only remember the once in Central Park. “There was Central Park a few months ago,” Iron Man explained, “but before that, remember at SHIELD, we stayed behind after the debriefing? And then last year, when I got hurt, you stayed with me to make sure no one tried anything while I got myself under control. You brought me a drink after I’d woken up.”

“That’s three times,” Bucky reminded, “you said five.” He remembered the time after the debriefing but hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. Other Avengers were still around, although only Bucky and Iron Man were drinking coke and discussing NASA’s latest attempt to colonize Mars. He wondered if he’d been born in another time if he would have tried to be an astronaut. The idea seemed thrilling, to be the first to explore a new land, but being an Avenger was equally exciting and give him access to knowledge most didn’t have. 

He was pulled from his musings by Iron Man, “there was once in the hospital wing when you were half unconscious and kept muttering about Hydra and some latest assassination attempt on the President.” Bucky frowned. That could hardly count if he were half-conscious. “I was working on your arm when you woke up and almost punched me.”

A laugh punched from Bucky’s chest, and he grinned over at the man, even if Iron Man couldn’t see the smile behind his mask. “That sounds like me.” 

“Uh-huh,” Iron Man grunted. Bucky had the strangest feeling the man was rolling his eyes, although the mask kept his eyes well from view. Still, the tone of voice lent to the idea of an eye roll. “Anyway, after you’d calmed down and realized where you were, we shared a coke and discussed Hydra and then talked about Star Trek. So there were four times when we were together talking about things other than Avengers business, and this makes five, and the third- no fourth time we’ve shared a Coke.”

The strange fluttering sensation in Bucky’s stomach was back as he glanced at Iron Man. Maybe it was becoming a habit, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t thrilled at the idea. “Maybe we can try something other than a Coke.” He paused, glancing away; they were almost to SHIELD headquarters. “Everyone’s gotta eat, right?”

For the longest few minutes of Bucky’s life, neither spoke, and Bucky wondered if he pushed too hard. Iron Man opened the door for them, letting Bucky enter first, before taking him to a private lab he’d never seen before. Two other Iron Man suits along the wall and hologram schematics for another suit and what looked like an upgraded arc reactor. Two weird little robots buzzed around, but Iron Man shooed them away when they tried to get closer. “That’s Butterfinger and DUM-E, they’re semi-sentient AI and a pair of idiots, but they help.” Bucky chuckled. “Welcome to my humble abode, sit.” He pointed to a stool which Bucky took.

Iron Man’s private lab was something Bucky never thought he’d see, never really thought about wanting to see, but it was full of exciting gadgets, and blueprints for technology Buck had never heard of or could have dreamt of. “You’re making a new suit?” He asked, curious. 

“Yeah,” Iron Man agreed, “with nano-technology. It’s fascinating. The nano-bots would be part of the arc-reactor, and when activated, would cover my body in the armor. A lot easier to fix midbattle too because they’d be self-replicating and able to fix themselves or grow new ones.” It sounded like science fiction, but then again, Bucky worked with aliens who could control lightning and a man who turned into a giant green rage monster, so he supposed his entire life was science fiction. 

A thought occurred to him, and he spoke up as Iron Man settled on a stool and pulled out a set of tools to fix Bucky’s arm. “Wouldn’t you have to give up the secret identity then?” If the arc reactor was on display for all to see, everyone would know who the man behind the mask was, something Bucky longed for himself, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to share with the world. He wanted more than just the casual sharing of a drink and a walk through Central Park. He wanted to go to a ball game or grab a Nathan’s hotdog together. After a battle, he wanted to assure himself that Iron Man was okay by seeing the body for himself. He wanted to run his hands over every inch of skin to find every bruise, every cut, and kiss them to soothe. He took a deep breath, trying to get his thoughts under control. The want was nothing new, but the intensity surprised him. He looked up at Iron Man, willing the mask to drop. “Iron Man?”

The man cleared his throat and glanced down at where his hands were carefully working on the arm. “Maybe,” he answered softly. For several minutes there was only the soft clinking sounds of Iron Man working on the arm before he spoke again, “I’ve been working on cloaking technology.” He paused, pressing on the arm to remove part of the dent, before he continued, “it would allow me to have the nano-tech and the arc-reactor in my everyday life, but so far the tests have come back inconclusive.” He shrugged.

With nothing to say to that, Bucky kept quiet and let the man work. It didn’t take long before he finished the arm, and Bucky was standing. He placed a hand on Iron Man’s arm, not wanting to leave, but he had no excuse to stay. “Thank you for this, and for-” he cut himself off, not sure what to say. They watched one another; Bucky longing to lean forward, to press his lips to Iron Man’s but with the suit and Bucky’s mask, what was the point? “Well… thank you.”

Iron Man nodded and moved away to put the tools back as Bucky made his way towards the door. He paused, taking a chance, and pulled his mask off, allowing the other man to see his face. “Iron Man,” he called out and waited until the hero turned around. “If you ever want to grab a hot dog, or...anything…” he let his words trail off with a shrug. What more could he say or do? His intention was quite clear by removing his mask, something none of them did with one another; their identities were closely guarded secrets that allowed them to live everyday lives outside of being superheroes. It was a risk revealing himself to anyone, but Iron Man had shown Bucky a piece of himself, the small inner sanctum with his personal blueprints and holographic technology. It was a calculated risk, but Bucky felt it worth it. He smiled again and nodded before turning towards the door. 

His hand curled around the handle, and he pulled, opening the glass door with the blacked-out panels that kept the outside from being able to look in. He was just about to step through when a voice behind him made him pause. “There’s a shawarma place down the street, brand new,” Iron Man called out. “I don’t really know what shawarma is, but it sounds good.”

When Bucky turned to look back at the man, his eye widened. Instead of looking at Iron Man, Bucky came face to face with Tony Stark of Stark Industries. He chuckled at himself; it should have been obvious, all the tech and sassy attitude, and he wondered why he hadn’t put it together before. “Tony Stark,” he greeted and held out his hand, “Bucky Barnes.” 

Stark grinned and shook the hand offered, a jolt of pleasure going through Bucky at the contact. “I love the alliteration,” he quipped. “So…” He trailed off with a shrug. “Shawarma?” 

Bucky nodded and opened the door again. He didn’t bother with his mask, and neither did Stark, although the man did take them through a service tunnel Bucky had never seen before. They encountered no people, which he supposed, was the point, and soon they were standing outside the library on Fifth Avenue, the bright sun beating down on them. Bucky squinted and looked around before following Stark to the new diner. 

Somewhere between the library and the diner, Bucky’s hand found itself clinging to Tony’s, and he couldn’t be bothered to care. It felt natural, the way their fingers slid together. He smiled when Tony opened the door without letting go, and somehow they managed to sit, order, and sip at their drinks, all without letting go of one another’s hands. It was more than Bucky could have hoped for, and he smiled. “Thanks for fixing the arm. I can’t believe they managed to dent it.”

Stark- no, Tony chuckled. “Yeah, that thing should be nearly indestructible, but I guess you just landed wrong. “So what do you do other than,” he motioned to the two of them without saying the words. 

Bucky shrugged. “I was military before, but when I woke up, I realized I didn’t want to go back to that. I mostly work contacts for SHIELD.” It wasn’t the most exciting since it was a lot of surveillance and following people, but what SHIELD lacked in excitement, the Avengers more than made up for it. Tony nodded, but before he could speak, their meal came. 

They spoke softly while eating, Bucky learning about Tony’s life outside of being a superhero, and Tony learning a bit about Bucky’s past. It was a good first date, all in all, and getting to know the man behind the suit did nothing to alleviate Bucky of his crush; if anything, it grew. By the end, they both stood awkwardly outside the diner. “I…” Bucky started the stopped. “We can do this again, right?”

Tony grinned and stepped forward, pressing his lips gently into Bucky’s. The kiss started slow but quickly heated. Bucky learned Stark liked having the top of his mouth licked, and he moaned when teeth nipped at his bottom lip. Their tongues battled for dominance, neither giving in but it only added to the passion he could feel simmering just under the surface. If they weren't on the sidewalk, Bucky wondered just how much further they would have taken things. As it was, Tony pulled away much too soon in Bucky's opinion and he couldn't help trying to follow before catching himself. “Oh yeah,” Tony finally answered, “we can definitely do this again.” He grinned, then turned and walked away, leaving Bucky slightly breathless outside the diner. 

Yes, it was an excellent first date, and Bucky couldn’t wait for the second.

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how to comment? Try an emoji!
> 
> 🥰 = I love this pairing!  
> ❤️ = Aw this was so cute and sweet! I loved it.   
> 💯 = Oh Secret Identities! Now they have to re-learn one another. Love it!


End file.
